I Guess I Was Just Too Hopeful
by ashinom123
Summary: Jazmine's been going through a lot lately, and she just feels lonelier and lonelier as she sits under the tree on that famous hill in Woodcrest all by herself. Will her spirits be lifted when a good friend finds her? Or will his constant insults just make the day worse? (Slight fluff. And I mean like almost non-existent, slight. Huey/Jazmine. ONESHOT.)


_A/N: I really appreciate all the wonderful reviews you guys left me. It motivates me to keep writing. Thank you all! :)_

_This is my first ever Boondocks fanfic, so it might be a little shaky in terms of quality. Slightly fluffy (Jazmine/Huey), but mostly about friendship. There are many references to the comic along with episodes in the show. I don't own anything; The Boondocks belongs to Aaron McGruder and Sony. I hope you guys all enjoy!_

_UPDATE: I edited it a bit, so don't be surprised if it's slightly different. :)_

_UPDATED UPDATE: I really appreciate all of your amazing feedback and comments, but I've been asked a few times to make a new chapter and I just can't. This is a ONESHOT. I would love to make more oneshots about Huey and Jazmine but continuing this specific story will just have you guys be disappointed because I have no plot for it or anything. I'm sorry._

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"I guess I was just too hopeful."

Jazmine DuBois stared up into the golden sky as the sun slowly began to dip below the horizon, clutching her knees to her chest as the autumn breeze blew through her thick hair. She felt her stomach turn over in loneliness, a pang of pain piercing her chest as she sat there on the perfectly green blades of grass. This famous little hill had become her favorite place to go to, but today, it only filled her with a strong melancholic vibe. It was an addictive kind of sadness, though. She found herself staying underneath that damn tree for hours, no matter how bad she felt.

She placed her chin upon her knees. Huey was always insisting that hope was irrational. She had persistently disregarded him, though. For her, it was just him being his depressing, cynical self like always. She was different. She knew she would always be innocent and filled with hope. A ray of sunshine. She saw now that maybe Huey was right. He was right about a lot of things, but hope was something Jazmine was almost certain he didn't understand. Maybe he did. Maybe he was trying to warn her in some twisted way of his. She only wished that she had listened sooner.

She clutched her knees tighter as the air started to become cooler around her. She wanted to snuggle in her warm bed, surrounded by dozens of stuffed animals with their button eyes and permanently sewn smiles, but she didn't have the heart to go home. She didn't want to face her parents' worried looks and constant bickering when they think she's fallen asleep. She didn't want to have to wake up and drag herself to school the next day, only to return to the picture perfect white girls who sneered at her differences. Just when she starts to become more confident in herself, she's always shut down.

All of this made sense, but she couldn't figure out why she was so lonely. Maybe it was the fact that there wasn't a single other biracial kid in all of Woodcrest. Or maybe it was the fact that she didn't have many friends in school. Yeah, that must be it. That must explain the feeling in the pit of her stomach. But why was it so prominent now? Maybe it was this damn season. The days were so short now.

But she always loved autumn. She found joy in stepping on the crispy leaves, and often took time to admire the different hues painting the leaves around her. She remembers walking towards the bus stop every morning the year before with Huey and Riley, stopping every five minutes to point at yet another brightly colored leaf. Huey would sigh and urge Jazmine to keep walking, and Riley would insist that her "giant afro" was preventing him from walking around her whenever she stopped (which didn't really make much sense to her.) Jazmine would laugh, ignoring Riley, and comment on how Huey could turn any beautiful day into a problem. He would roll his eyes without a word.

Jazmine chuckled lightly to herself at the memories. Her ghost of a good mood vanished quickly though, as she longed for those memories again. What was so different last year? She can't remember, but she remembers quite well that she was a lot happier.

Suddenly, she heard the rustling of leaves. She didn't hesitate to get on her feet, as fear swept through her. She had lost track of time, and was just realizing how late it had gotten. She'd never been out this late before, all by herself. Her eyes grew wide as she contemplated the possibilities. What if it was a _terrorist_?

She quietly tiptoed behind the trunk of the tree, being careful not to make a sound. She was ready to scream at the top of her lungs as soon as this person showed their face, and take off running as fast as her little legs could take her. She waited patiently, the pace of her heartbeat quickening with every second. Slowly, she felt the presence of the stranger grow closer and closer. And then…

"Jazmine?"

"Aah!" Jazmine's shriek was brief when she recognized the voice of the stranger. A portion of his afro was visible from the other side of the tree, and he poked his head to the side, showing his face. One of his eyebrows was raised in confusion as he stared at the small girl for a moment.

"Huey!" Jazmine sprinted to the eleven-year-old boy and flung her arms around his neck, causing him to stumble backwards a step. Huey didn't bother to return the hug; he just tapped Jazmine's arm in an awkward manner.

"Uh, okay Jazmine. You can get off me now."

The little girl released her grip at once and chuckled nervously. "Ha, whoops. Sorry." She smiled at her friend. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something had caused the forlorn emotion that punched her gut a few minutes before to fade, even if it was just slightly. Something about Huey's presence helped lift her mood a bit, but her smile vanished as she remembered why she was there in this first place. He tilted his head as he noticed this change in expression, but he didn't ask. He watched her sit below the tree and hug her knees to her chest, and then sat beside her. They both sat in silence for a bit, staring up at the stars.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Huey's voice was deadpanned as always, but there was a slight tinge of worry behind his words.

"…I don't really know. I've been here all day." She glanced at the grass for a moment. It wasn't really a lie. She really _didn't_ know why she was still there after all this time. It had become cold and dark, and really, she wanted to go home. She just couldn't will herself to leave.

"It's nice," she added. Huey didn't reply, just continued to stare at the stars. Then, his expression changed quickly as he glanced at Jazmine with a quirked eyebrow.

"Wait, wouldn't your parents be worried?" Jazmine shrugged.

"You're not even allowed to go past the second light post, but you're telling me they wouldn't care that you're here?" Jazmine glanced over at Huey, his face contorted with suspicion.

"I don't know, Huey. Why do you care anyway?" She retorted. Huey's expression shifted. He never really heard Jazmine ever snap at him like that before. Something's definitely up.

"Go home, Jazmine," he muttered before staring back up at the sky. That's not exactly what he wanted to say, but it just kind of came out. Jazmine stared at Huey for a second, with just a sliver of hurt evident in her emerald eyes. Then, she crossed her arms with a pout and focused her glare back up at the sky.

"I'm not going anywhere," she replied, indignantly. Why couldn't he see she was having a rough day? Why doesn't _he_ just leave?

"There're terrorists lurking around. You should go hide in your room." Huey's verbal daggers just kept spewing from his mouth without him really thinking. But he was tired of the ignorance surrounding him at school and at home, and yearned for a bit of quiet time in his special spot. Even if that meant insulting Jazmine to get her to leave.

"Leave me alone, Huey," she grumbled, catching on to his reference to her hiding in her room for two years after 9/11. It was a serious phobia, not a laughing matter.

"Seriously, Jazmine. You wouldn't want daddy to get abducted. You should go home to check on him." Huey usually would make fun of Jazmine naivety but today he was especially cruel. He just wanted to be alone.

"Well, you know what? I don't care if he does!" Jazmine jumped up from her place on the grass and walked to the other side of the tree, her blood boiling beneath her skin. How dare he make fun of her in such a way, after everything she'd gone through today? She didn't mean it, what she said, but her anger was too strong for her to feel any remorse at the moment.

Huey instantly regretted his words. He had never seen Jazmine so upset before, and never heard her say anything like that against her father. His face softened as he stared at the angry girl, her back faced towards him. He blinked, not really knowing what to say. He turned to face the girl, but didn't bother standing up. He wasn't sure he wanted to face her with this kind of rage. He figured he should just say whatever came to his mind first.

"What happened?" Damn. Okay, maybe he should've asked if she was okay, but this should do. Jazmine's anger soon turned into hot tears streaming down her face, something that wasn't unusual for the sensitive child.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. There's just been a lot going on." Her voice was softer than usual, more mature almost. "Mommy and daddy don't think I know but I do know even though I don't wanna know. And these girls in school just… Nevermind. I'm sorry."

Huey watched her wipe her eyes, although he couldn't see the tears with her back faced towards him. She wasn't making too much sense, but he already figured out what she was trying to say. His eyes drifted to the grass as he searched for the right words to say. Why was it that he could devise plans to free his wrongfully accused friend from jail and accurately predict the outcomes of a national phenomenon like the Fried Chicken Flu but when it came to comforting his crying friend, he just couldn't do it? He was too intelligent and insanely prepared at all times to be this tongue-tied and lost.

Without thinking about it, Huey stood up from his place on the ground and grabbed Jazmine's wrist with a determined look on his face. Quickly, he dragged her down the hill and towards their houses. When Jazmine figured out where he was leading them to, she stopped abruptly in her tracks.

"No," she said, firmly. Her voice softened. "I don't wanna go home." Huey stared at Jazmine for a moment and then nodded before leading her again. She spoke louder now.

"Didn't you hear me, Huey? I said I don't wanna go home!"

"I heard you."

Jazmine couldn't understand what the young revolutionary was trying to achieve but it just made her more frightened to see her house growing closer and closer. She closed her eyes to keep the tears from spilling out – she was almost positive she annoyed Huey insanely with her constant crying – and let Huey guide her.

She opened her eyes when she heard the click of a key unlocking a door. To her surprise, it wasn't her house. It was the Freemans'. She glanced at Huey with a confused expression as he released his grip from her hand.

"Aye, Granddad! Jazmine's gonna stay over tonight, okay?" Huey yelled at the top of his lungs. He heard a faint "whatever" from somewhere in the house and took that as permission.

"You can stay here tonight until you feel a little bit better and want to go home," Huey told her in his usual deadpanned voice. Jazmine nodded, a grateful smile adorning her features as tears welled up in her eyes. Huey sighed, giving her a look as to say "please don't start crying."

"Thanks," she choked out, blinking the tears away. Huey nodded.

He led her to the guestroom, and gave her one of his grandfather's oversized t-shirts. He lingered by the door, not really sure whether he should say something to Jazmine before leaving or if he should just go to bed. He looked at her for a moment, and she patted the space beside her on the floor where she was sitting, taking off her sneakers. Huey walked over and sat beside her, showing little emotion. He didn't say anything; just watched her unlacing her sneakers. He was pretty much set to leave when Jazmine broke the silence.

"You always say hope is irrational." Her voice wasn't coated in any strong emotion, so Huey wasn't all too sure where she was going with this. He simply nodded in response.

"I think I was just too hopeful," Jazmine said softly, staring at her socks. She knew what Huey would say. He would resist the urge to say "I told you so", but he'd say it in a different way. He knew he was right. There was silence for a moment.

"Too hopeful for what?" His question caught Jazmine off guard. She stared at him for a moment, and then proceeded to answer.

"That things would get better. With mommy and daddy, that is. I knew the kids at school hated me, so I wasn't really all that hopeful for that." Jazmine waited for Huey's intelligent reply that wouldn't really comfort her in any way, but just confirm her realization.

"Cindy doesn't hate you," Huey replied, much to Jazmine's surprise. Her eyes widened at the response as she gazed at Huey. "Riley doesn't hate you. Caesar doesn't hate you." He paused for a moment, and then shrugged. "I don't hate you." Jazmine felt her cheeks get warm at the last sentence, even though she had no idea why. She hid the tiny tint of scarlet that painted her cheeks, while feeling a rush of gratitude run through her from his words.

"And I don't think you can beat yourself up for having hope," Huey added. This really caught Jazmine's attention. She stared at him, her mouth slightly opened. He noticed her reaction and shrugged nonchalantly, even though his next words were difficult for him to get out.

"Hell, even I do it sometimes." His voice had grown soft. It was almost as if it were a secret. He remembered that fateful day where Operation Black Steel had been aborted, and yet somehow, everything turned out okay. Sort of.

"I think everyone needs a little hope sometimes – even if it isn't the most rational thing to do – if it helps them." He recollected memories of being with Martin Luther King Jr., and then his boycott of B.E.T with Reverend Goodlove. He remembered his holiday play, and recalled how everyone yearned for those iconic Christmas miracles, even if they seemed to be impossible. Huey got up to leave the room, but lingered at the door for just one moment.

There was one last thing he had to say to show Jazmine he was being real, and that this was something he would probably never say again.

"Even me."


End file.
